Refrigerant vapor system



Nov. 19, 1946.

w. E. TRUMPL ER 2,411,347 RERIGERANT VAPOR SYSTEM Filed Nov. 27, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

WILLIAM E. TRUIPLEB Nov. 19, 1946. w. E. TRUMPLER 2,411,347

REFRIGERANT VAPOR SYSTEM Filed Nov. 27, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTUR.

wmmm r; mumpww Nov. 19, 1946. w. E. TRUMPLER 2,411,347

REFRIGERANT vlAPon SYSTEM Filed Nov. 27, 1940 I 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 FEG. 3

INVENTOR.

WILLIAM E TRUMPLER NOV. 19, 1946. w TRUMPLER 2,411,347

REFRIGERANT VAPOR SYSTEM Filed NOV. 27, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. wiLum E. 'rnuunea BY M12,

ATTORNEY.

liquid receiver.

Patented Nov. 19, 1946.

I BEFRIGERANT VA POR SYSTEM William 'E. Trumpler, Easton, 2a., asslgnor to Carrier Corporation, Syracuse, N. Y., acorporation of Delaware ApplicationNovember 27, 1940, Serial No. 367,441

1 Claims.

This invention relates to the use of refrigerants for power supp y and refrigeration purposes and more particularly to an integrated system wherein a single supply of refrigerant is employed as a prime moving medium and also as a compressible medium for the production of refrigerating effect.

A principal object of the invention is the provision of a boiler in which a refrigerant such as Fl I, FI2, or the like, is converted into a vapor at relatively high pressure, which is then utilized for driving an engine or turbine, or utilized in connection with an ejector or jet compressor arrangement. In the form of the invention in which the refrigerant as a high pressure vapor is used to operate an engine or turbine; the said engine or turbine may be arranged to compress another portion of the same refrigerant, the vapor from the engine or turbine plus the compressed vapor then feeding into a common condenser or into a series of condensers, preferably serving a common From said receiver the refrigerant, in liquid form, is distributed so that one portion thereof serves to feed the boiler for makeup purposes whereas another portion, under control, serves an evaporator or the like for cooling air or for service in other refrigeration applications.

Another arrangement utilizes high pressure refrigerant vapor from a boiler which then serves an ejector. The resulting action is similar as in the case of a compressor in that refrigerant from an evaporator is entrained with the refrigerant discharged from the elector, the combined vapor then entering a condenser, which may be of th evaporative condenser type. condensed refrigerant is then similarly distributed to the boiler and for other service as aforesaid.

, The practical advantages fiowingjrom applicants arrangement over conventional refrigeration systems reside in the ability to use much smaller equipment for obtaining equal refrigerating service; in reduction in size of condenser apparatus due to eficiencies attained with applicants system; in obtaining great savings in steam consumption when the system, for example, is used in railroad applications of air conditioning as compared with existing steam ejector systems; in elimination of water circulating and air pumps in many applications; in elimination of expensive battery equipment, especially in connection with railroad and motor vehicl applications; and in considerable saving inspace due to the compactness of app icants arrangement compared with existing systems; and in great savings in the amount of water required in the event evap- The resultant orative condensers are used with applicants systems as compared to thatrequired for operating evaporati've condensers in prior systems, more particularly steam jet systems.

Other objects and features will also be apparent from the following description of typical forms of the invention to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 diagrammatically illustrates a system employing a refrigerant cycle wherein applicant's invention is incorporated;.

Fig. 2 diagrammatically illustrates one feature of the invention for recovering refrigerant and utilizing oil separated therefrom;

Fig. 3 illustrates a modified form of the inven tion in which a jet compressor is .used;

Fig. 4 shows another form of applicants invention including a novel boiler feed arrangement and control adapted for use therewith; and

Fig. 5 illustrates another modified form of the invention.

Considering the drawings, similar designations referring to similar parts, and first referring more particularly to Fig. 1 numeral ill designates a passage through which heating fluids such as hot gases may be routed, Damper ll operated conventionally by a heat control mechanism i2 regulates the amount of hot gas which flows through passage ID and which is diverted to passage l3. Theheat control device [2 may be located as desired and may be operated manually or automatically. In connection with a refrigeration or air conditioning system, device i2 may be located in the conditioned area.

Within passage i3 is located coil it within which a refrigerant may be heated and converted into a gas at relatively high pressure. In efiect, coil it may be considered a boiler. The refrigerant vapor proceeds from the boiler it through inlet conduit I 5 to prime mover and compressor it. While it may assume different forms, a wahble plate engine may serve as an illustration since it may combine both a prime moving element as Well as a compressor element. The. high pressure vapor will be admitted to the engine to drive the pistons thereof and then will be exhausted from the engine into exhaust conduit l1, enter condenser 2| where it will be liquefied, then flow into receiver 22 and be drawn back to the boiler by means of pump 23.

The refrigeration cycle utilizes the compressor of the wabble plate engine It. Refrigerant vapor from evaporator or cooling coil 20 enters the receiving cylinders of engine It and is compressed.

The compressed refrigerant will-leave the engine leaving the evaporator.

also through exhaust conduit l1 and enter condenser 2 I'where liquefaction will take place in the usual manner. The liquefied refrigerant enters receiver 22 and from there liquid is admitted through line 3| to the evaporator or cooling coil 20 through expansion valve 84 in the usual manner. The controls in connection with the refrigeration cycle may be conventional. The refrigerant from receiver 22 therefore is routed in two courses, to the evaporator and to the boiler. Valve I8 operative responsive to bulb [3 controls bypassing of refrigerant through line 85, the control being in the nature of a superheat control.

It may be noted that fan 83 for the evaporative condenser and pump 23 are both operated from the shaft of engine-compressor 13.

Fig. 3 illustrates another form of the invention in which heat from any source is admitted to passage Hi, this heat being supplied by hot gases or may be such waste heat as is available. Damper ll under control of heat regulator l2 governs the quantity of heating medium passed into or bypassed around boiler I4, as indicated.

Of course, the boiler may be directly served by an 011 burner or the like. There is no limitation with respect to the manner of supplying heat for vaporizing the refrigerant in the boiler. Liquid refrigerant will be maintained at a desired level in boiler i4 under control of a liquid level control 24 which may be of the float type illustrated. Refrigerant vapor under relatively high pressure enters conduit I and is then discharged through Jet compressor 25, the ejector action entraining vapor from evaporator or-cooling coil 20, the high pressure refrigerant vapor and the entrained. vapor entering exhaust conduit I1 and then condenser 28, which in this case is a water cooled condenser. Water from any desired source enters the condenser through conduit 21 under control of valve 28 and after its course through the. condenser, leaves through conduit 29.

The condensed refrigerant feeds from condenser 26 to subcooier 30, where the liquid is reduced in temperature by the low temperature gas The sub-cooled liquid is then admitted to receiver 22 which serves evaporator 20 through line 3| and also serves to supply refrigerant for makeup purposes through line 32. 1

High pressure vapor from the boiler also serves boiler feed jet 32A thereby entraining liquid from receiver 22 to maintain the desired liquid level in the boiler. The overflow from the boiler flows through line 33 to the condenser.

In Fig. 4 still another form of the invention is illustrated. Boiler l4 supplies refrigerant vapor at high pressure through conduit l5 to turbine wheel 34, the vapor then entering condenser 35. The condenser in this case is water cooled and the liquefied refrigerant flows from receiver 36 in one course through line 31 to evaporator or cooler 23. The evaporated gas which leaves cooler 20 enters compressor wheels 38 which are mounted on the same shaft as turbine wheel 34 and driven thereby. The compressed gas leaves through the same condenser intake conduit 39 through which the gas from turbine wheel 34-is also admitted to condenser 35.

The common shaft 40 also mounts centrifugal pump 4| which serves as a boiler feed pump. Liquid refrigerant from receiver 36 in part flows over weir 42 for delivery to evaporator 20 as hereinbefore described. Another portion of the refrigerant passes through passage 43 to pump 4|.

iii

4v A jet injector nozzle 44 is fed by the pump to provide an aspiration head. The amount of liquid refrigerant discharged by pump 4| to the liquid level or float valve arrangement, generally designated 45 is controlled by the liquid level therein. The float valve is so arranged that upon an increase in liquid above a certain level, port 41 will be opened as port 46 is closed, the

port 41 providing the inlet of a bypass for the delivery of refrigerant through conduit to the evaporator 20. In the event such high liquid level persists in the float chamber, relief valve 49 will open permitting liquid refrigerant to be returned to the condenser. Similarly, when the compressor shaft 40 reaches an excessive speed which provides excessive pressure at the pump, the opening of the relief valve 49, which takes'place under such conditions, will relieve the pressure. Also, it may be noted that a restricted flow takes place into thrust chamber 50 and this results in an automatic pressure compensation against the thrust of the impeller.

The features combined by applicant in the ar-- rangement of Fig. 4 safeguard efficient operation under all conditions of load, and also provide for practical refrigerant distribution during shutdown periods. Thus, when the unit is shut down by cutting off the heat supply to the boiler,

the rotor will gradually come to a stop. Since condenser 35 is located above boiler [4, the liquid in the condenser will drain to the boiler through pump 4 I, which provides an open passage. When the boiler level reaches a desired point, the float will cause port 4'! to open and excess liquid will flow through bypass conduit 48 to the evaporator. Substantially no liquid will stay in the pump as the shaft packing is of the labyrinth type and will gradually permit the pump to drain.

The unit becomes operative again when heat is supplied to boiler l4. The boiler pressure will gradually rise and as the vapor initially flows through the turbine, condensation occurs before the rotor begins to rotate. This results in a fall of the liquid level in boiler l4 and a. shifting of the float valves whereupon port 41 is closed and port 46 opened. As the pressure in the boiler continues to rise, the pressure in the float valve chamber will also rise since the pressure is the same in both chambers by virtue of the interconnecting passages 5|, 5la. This will cause liqbe enough condensate in the condenser to satisfy the pump when the rotor begins to function.

In Fig. 5 another modification of the invention is described in which the heat for operating the refrigeration unit is supplied from a steam or hot water heating system. This is but one illustration of the utility of the system in connection with building heating systems, or railroad steam supply systems or with other systems in which sources of heat used for other purposes are also available for providing refrigerating effect.

In Fig. 6 numeral I4A designates a boiler for heating a building. 53 represents the fire box and 54 the stack. The system may be of any conventional type. Assuming this system to be designed for use in steam heating an enclosure, some of the steam will, in the usual manner, be piped to a series of'radiators 55 through conventional supply and return lines 56 and 51. Another portion of the steam supply will be admitted through the influence of a bulb II at the suction side ofevaporator or cooler 20 and returned to boiler A by the pumptlA. The high pressure ref llerant vapor from the boiler feeds to turbo compressor ll through conduit Ii and also serves boiler feed jet 62 through conduit 63. The refrigerant vapor discharged from the turbine exhaust enters condenser 64 whereas the compressed vapor enters condenser II. Both condensers may be arranged in series, as illustrated, the cooling water entering through conduit 66 and leaving through discharge conduit 81. The condensate gunner 8 f xadmittingamixtureofiubricantandrefrigerant separator chamber, a collecting chamber in communication with said separator chamber. means providing communication between the separator'chamber and a fourth chamber subjected to a different pressure, the mixture of lubricant and refrigerant in said separator chamber being subjected to heating and evaporation action whereby evaporated refrigerant willbe abstracted from said separator chamber and enter the fourth chamber, and means for withdrawing from the collecting chamber the resultant ,concentrated mixture having a higher lubricant content.

2. A system for utilizing refrigerant for a plurality of purposes comprising a boiler, means for vaporizing refrigerant in the boiler, a first vapor :Iet compressing element, an evaporator associated with said element, means for s pplying refrigerant in gaseous form from the boiler to said first iet element, a condenser for receiving refrigerant from said jet element and liquefying compressor 80 passes through subcooler III and thereby reduces the temperature of the condensate which feeds back from condenser 65 to receiver 22. Liquid level control II serves to return liquid refrigerant to condenser 64 when the level in the boiler rises above a predetermined maximum. Lines 12 and 80 serve to feed a small amount of refrigerant containing a relatively high oil concentration to the compressor for lubricating purposes.

As illustrated in Fig. 2 and a shown applied to the system of Fig. 5, applicant provides a method of recovering oil admixed with or dissolved in the refrigerant, the 011 being concentrated so that although a small portion of refrigerant may remain in the oil containing residue, this will not materially impair the usefulness of the oil containing residue for lubricating moving parts. The rectified refrigerant is made available for use in the refrigeration cycle.

Considering the arrangement of Fi 2, or in the system of Fig. 5, part of the boiling liquid (refrigerant plus'oil) is fed from boiler M into chamber I8 of concentrator 13. The concentrator comprises a surrounding pot M which is heated by steam or heating fluid from the boiler heating means fed through conduit 75. The oil plus refrigerant in chamber i6 is kept in boiling condithe same, an interchanger including a conduit connecting said evaporator and element, means for routing condensed refrigerant from the condenser through said interchanger, a receiver for accumulating condensed refrigerant received from the interchanger, a first line connecting said receiver to said evaporator, a second jet compressing element for receiving refrigerant vapor under high pressure from the boiler, and a second line connecting said receiver and said second jet for supplying liquid refrigerant from the receiver to the boiler.

3. In a system for utilizing refrigerant, means for supplying heated gases, a boiler containing refrigerant, and arranged to utilize said heated gases for vaporizing under relatively high pressure a controlled portion of said refrigerant, an apparatus utilizing another portion of said refrigerant for refrigeration purposes, a prime mover and compressor unit for receiving said refrigerant under high pressure and refrigerant from said apparatus, means for condensing the refrigerant received from said unit, means for returning from the condensing means to the boiler some of the contion with the result that the refrigerant is boiled ed and proceeds through line H to condenser apparatus of the system, vapor orifice l8 controlling the discharge from chamber in to line H leading to the condenser. The concentrated oil which collects in chamber 89 is under pressure and is discharged through conduit W to a line such as it of Fig. him use in lubricating moving partsof the system. Line 85 is a waste connection for steam condensate 0r heating fluid from pot "Hi.

Since certain changes in "carrying out the above method of operation and in the constructions set forth, which embody the invention, may be made without departing from its scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. i

I claim: a

1. In a system of the character described, an

oil concentrator comprising a heating chamber, means for admitting heating fluid to said heating chamber, a separator chamber subjected to the action of said heating chamber, means for densed refrigerant to be again vaporized under high pressure, and means for returning from the condenser back to the boiler a. surplus of said last mentioned refrigerant.

4. A system for utilizing refrigerant comprising a, first apparatus for vaporizing refrigerant, a turbo-compressor unit, means for supplying vaporized refrigerant from said first apparatus to the turbine portion of said unit, means for delivering said refrigerant from said portion to a condenser, evaporator means for vaporizing refrigerant under I low pressure, means for supplying refrigerant from the con.- denser to said last mentioned means, means for delivering refrigerant under low pressure from said evaporator means to the compressor part of said unit, a pump connected to said unit, means for feeding refrigerant from the condenser to said pump, and meansfor delivering from the pump refrigerant to a reservoir and means for controllably supplying refrigerant from the reservoir to said first apparatus and to said evaporator means.

5. A system according to claim 4 including means operative responsive to an increase in' pressure beyond a. predetermined maximum in a conduit connecting said, pump and condenser for admitting refrigerant from the pump to the condenser.

, 7 6. A system according to claim 4, in which the means for delivering refrigerant from the pump discharges into a liquid level apparatus including said reservoir and means is arranged to 'cooperate with the pump for causing refrigerant delivered by the pump to build up a pressure compensating for and in a direction against the thrust of the shaft of said unit.

7. A system for utilizing a refrigerant under high and low pressures comprising a vaporizer apparatus, means for feeding refrigerant. to said apparatus, means for supplying refrigerant in gaseous form from said apparatus to a prime mover and compressing unit, means for feeding refrigerant from the prime mover part of said unit to a first condenser, means for discharging refrigerant from the compressor part of said unit to a second condenser under lower pressure than the first condenser, means for delivering condensed refrigerant from both condensersto a receiver, means for routing refrigerant from the receiver to an evaporator forming one element of a refrigeration cycle, and means for delivering other refrigerant from the receiver to said feeding means.

8. A system according to claim 7 including means for delivering refrigerant from the condenser under higher pressure to the condenser under lower pressure, means for delivering refrigerant from the condenser under lower pressure to an interchanger including a conduitleading from the evaporator, and means for .controlling the level of refrigerant in the vaporizer, said last ting surplus refrigerant from the vaporizer to said condenser under higher pressure.

9. A system in accordance with claim 7 including means for controlling a supply of steam to the vaporizer apparatus responsive to changing heat load conditions affecting the vaporization of refrigerant in the evaporator.

10. Refrigerating apparatus of the character described including as elements thereof a compressor, a prime mover coupled thereto to drive the same, a boiler and means for supplying heat thereto, a condenser structure, an evaporator, a main conduit system connecting said elements to form therewith a closed circuit in which a body of refrigerant may drivethe engine and cool the evaporator, said condenser structure receiving the refrigerant and oil entrained therewith from both the prime mover and the compressor, the discharge from the condenser structure being distributed to the evaporator and the boiler, an oil separator, a branch system including a conduit arranged to conduct from the boiler to the separator a mixture of liquid refrigerant and oil entrained therein, means for applying heat from said boiler heating means to the separator to evaporate refrigerant from the mixture, means for conducting the resultant vapor from the separator to said condenser structure, and a conduit for conducting the concentrate from the separator to. said prime mover.

WILLIAM E. TRUIWPLER. 

